Chapter Nine
THE JOURNEY TO HOGWARTS
Lily had been dragging her cases for some minutes, but all compartements were full or closed. She was beginning to think she'd have to pass the whole journey in the corridor.
She tried to unlock the umpteenth door, but it was firmly shut.
"Damn!" she cried out, passing on.
"Lily!" A young wizard dressed with Hogwarts uniform was staring at her from the last room she had passed
"Severus! Hello! How do you do?" said Lily smiling, glad she had found someone she knew.
"Fine, thanks. You look to need some help. You haven't found a compartement, have you?"
"No" admitted Lily
"You wanna join us? I had locked the door to avoid to be disturbed, but then I heard your voice"
"Ehm... yes thank you" said Lily, blushing.
The compartement was quite big, and it looked even bigger since only two people were sitting inside. Severus's friend was a short, fat boy with two rat-like eyes
"Hello, I'm Peter Pettigrew," said the boy shaking her hand.
Once settled in, Lily looked at her new fellows
"So, you're both wizards, aren't you?" she couldn't help but being amazed when she was near a real wizard, even if it was just a kid.
"Yeah, I told you last time about my family and myself. Peter's is a wizards' family as well."
"Wow! Sorry, I just have to realize that this is not a dream. You know, I wished for things like this all my life and now... it's just too good to be true" said Lily innocently
"Things like what?" asked Peter, dully.
"Things like us, stupid. Lily comes from a Muggle's family" said Severus
"A Muggle family? Wow! You're a Mudbl... ouch!" Severus hurted him at the stomach, giving him an accusing look.
"I mean, I'd never met a... witch coming from a Muggle family." Peter smiled, embarrassed
"Oh, really? I guess I'm far less interesting for you then what you are for me."
"No! I've always wanted to know how things work in Muggle's world, but my parents never allowed me to."
"Really, why?" asked Lily, truly concerned
"Well, you know," answered Severus with a sigh, " most of ancient families of wizards, like Peter's and mine, consider themselves as... better than those who come from Muggles families. We are usually named 'Pureblood.'"
"Oh, I see. But you don't look like caring about that, do you?"
"Not really, to my parents' great disappointment" Severus smiled lightly, and Lily returned his smile.
"Nor do I, nor do I care!" added Peter loudly. The other two looked at him questioning, making him blush.
"Ehm... could you tell me, please, what exactly is a 'car', please? I've always wanted to know" asked the fat boy, more to change subject than for real interest.
Lily began to explain, and after a few moments they were deep inside a discussion regarding Muggle and Wizard worlds.
The country was passing by out of the window, and the sky quickly turned red. A noise out of the compartement announced the arrival of the food trolley, and the three children suddendly realized they were hungry.
Lily had been given some money, but she was not confident with it, so she accepted Severus's proposal to offer some food.
"May I advice a new candy?" asked the old witch gently. "It's the latest invention from Honeydukes: the Chocolate Frog! In every packet you'll find a picture card of a famous wizard or witch to collect," she said, showing a little packet. The three were curious about those candies, and Severus took four for each one of them.
"Watch out, they make one single jump after you open the packet, don't miss them!" Lily was asking herself what the witch was meaning, when Peter opened the first of his Chocolate Frogs. A frog made of chocolate jumped on Lily's head, making her scream.
"Don't worry, Lily, it's just a magic!" said Severus, taking the frog and giving it back to Peter, who immediatly eat it. It was already moving. Lily was disgusted, and refused to eat any of those things. Instead, she concentrated on the picture cards. She nearly screamed again when the man in the picture smiled at her, making a bow
"'Godric Gryffindor. Probably the most powerful magic fighter of the Middle Age. He saved Muggle world from an invasion of Dragons, and defeated the evil wizard Molodor. He is one of the founders of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; one of the school's houses still bears his name.' Wow, cool!" said Lily, watching the picture in her hand "Hey, what's this story of the school houses?"
"You don't know?" asked Peter chewing
"Of course not, Peter" Severus rebuked him "Once we get at Hogwarts, we'll be sorted in four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Our successes gain house points, while we lose points each time we break a rule. At the end of the year, the house with more points will win the House Cup!"
"Oh! That sounds amazing! Which house would you like to be sorted in?" asked Lily
"I hope I'll be a Slytherin! My parents were Slytherins, and also many of my ancestors," said Snape immediately.
"I hope to be a Slytherin, too!" added Peter, who had just finished his Chocolate Frog.
"Well, then, I hope to be sorted a Slytherin as well, so at least I'll be with someone I know!" said Lily smiling.
The whistle of the train announced that they were getting at destination.
"You'd better get dressed, we're about to arrive," suggested Severus
Lily was already wearing most of the uniform, so she had just to pick the cloak out of her case.
They were feeling really excited and even a bit scared now. For some minutes, no one spoke.
"Have you already been to Hogwarts?" asked Lily, just to break the silence
"No. You're not allowed into the school if you're not a student or a teacher. Or a keeper."
"Oh, and how are they supposed to have meetings with parents?" asked Lily innocently. Severus and Peter shared a look, and then they started laughing.
"Hey, what's so funny? What did I say?" said Lily, disappointed
"Nothing, it's nothing. It's just that there are NO meeting with parents. There have never been, so it sounds really amusing to hear you ask" explained Severus.
The train slowed down till it stopped completely. A voice told the students to leave their cases in the compartments and to get off the train.
"Firs yea! Firs yea! 'verybody 'rom da first year ples com here!" the man talking was the same Lily and Peter had asked at the London train station.
Lily, Severus and Peter followed the man togheter with a crowd of other children toward the shore of a big, dark lake. The air was cold and Lily understood the meaning of the cloak.
They got in some boats ("No mor than fou' per boa!" the man had said) and started sailing toward a huge castle on the other side of the lake.
THE JOURNEY TO HOGWARTS
Lily had been dragging her cases for some minutes, but all compartements were full or closed. She was beginning to think she'd have to pass the whole journey in the corridor.
She tried to unlock the umpteenth door, but it was firmly shut.
"Damn!" she cried out, passing on.
"Lily!" A young wizard dressed with Hogwarts uniform was staring at her from the last room she had passed
"Severus! Hello! How do you do?" said Lily smiling, glad she had found someone she knew.
"Fine, thanks. You look to need some help. You haven't found a compartement, have you?"
"No" admitted Lily
"You wanna join us? I had locked the door to avoid to be disturbed, but then I heard your voice"
"Ehm... yes thank you" said Lily, blushing.
The compartement was quite big, and it looked even bigger since only two people were sitting inside. Severus's friend was a short, fat boy with two rat-like eyes
"Hello, I'm Peter Pettigrew," said the boy shaking her hand.
Once settled in, Lily looked at her new fellows
"So, you're both wizards, aren't you?" she couldn't help but being amazed when she was near a real wizard, even if it was just a kid.
"Yeah, I told you last time about my family and myself. Peter's is a wizards' family as well."
"Wow! Sorry, I just have to realize that this is not a dream. You know, I wished for things like this all my life and now... it's just too good to be true" said Lily innocently
"Things like what?" asked Peter, dully.
"Things like us, stupid. Lily comes from a Muggle's family" said Severus
"A Muggle family? Wow! You're a Mudbl... ouch!" Severus hurted him at the stomach, giving him an accusing look.
"I mean, I'd never met a... witch coming from a Muggle family." Peter smiled, embarrassed
"Oh, really? I guess I'm far less interesting for you then what you are for me."
"No! I've always wanted to know how things work in Muggle's world, but my parents never allowed me to."
"Really, why?" asked Lily, truly concerned
"Well, you know," answered Severus with a sigh, " most of ancient families of wizards, like Peter's and mine, consider themselves as... better than those who come from Muggles families. We are usually named 'Pureblood.'"
"Oh, I see. But you don't look like caring about that, do you?"
"Not really, to my parents' great disappointment" Severus smiled lightly, and Lily returned his smile.
"Nor do I, nor do I care!" added Peter loudly. The other two looked at him questioning, making him blush.
"Ehm... could you tell me, please, what exactly is a 'car', please? I've always wanted to know" asked the fat boy, more to change subject than for real interest.
Lily began to explain, and after a few moments they were deep inside a discussion regarding Muggle and Wizard worlds.
The country was passing by out of the window, and the sky quickly turned red. A noise out of the compartement announced the arrival of the food trolley, and the three children suddendly realized they were hungry.
Lily had been given some money, but she was not confident with it, so she accepted Severus's proposal to offer some food.
"May I advice a new candy?" asked the old witch gently. "It's the latest invention from Honeydukes: the Chocolate Frog! In every packet you'll find a picture card of a famous wizard or witch to collect," she said, showing a little packet. The three were curious about those candies, and Severus took four for each one of them.
"Watch out, they make one single jump after you open the packet, don't miss them!" Lily was asking herself what the witch was meaning, when Peter opened the first of his Chocolate Frogs. A frog made of chocolate jumped on Lily's head, making her scream.
"Don't worry, Lily, it's just a magic!" said Severus, taking the frog and giving it back to Peter, who immediatly eat it. It was already moving. Lily was disgusted, and refused to eat any of those things. Instead, she concentrated on the picture cards. She nearly screamed again when the man in the picture smiled at her, making a bow
"'Godric Gryffindor. Probably the most powerful magic fighter of the Middle Age. He saved Muggle world from an invasion of Dragons, and defeated the evil wizard Molodor. He is one of the founders of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; one of the school's houses still bears his name.' Wow, cool!" said Lily, watching the picture in her hand "Hey, what's this story of the school houses?"
"You don't know?" asked Peter chewing
"Of course not, Peter" Severus rebuked him "Once we get at Hogwarts, we'll be sorted in four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Our successes gain house points, while we lose points each time we break a rule. At the end of the year, the house with more points will win the House Cup!"
"Oh! That sounds amazing! Which house would you like to be sorted in?" asked Lily
"I hope I'll be a Slytherin! My parents were Slytherins, and also many of my ancestors," said Snape immediately.
"I hope to be a Slytherin, too!" added Peter, who had just finished his Chocolate Frog.
"Well, then, I hope to be sorted a Slytherin as well, so at least I'll be with someone I know!" said Lily smiling.
The whistle of the train announced that they were getting at destination.
"You'd better get dressed, we're about to arrive," suggested Severus
Lily was already wearing most of the uniform, so she had just to pick the cloak out of her case.
They were feeling really excited and even a bit scared now. For some minutes, no one spoke.
"Have you already been to Hogwarts?" asked Lily, just to break the silence
"No. You're not allowed into the school if you're not a student or a teacher. Or a keeper."
"Oh, and how are they supposed to have meetings with parents?" asked Lily innocently. Severus and Peter shared a look, and then they started laughing.
"Hey, what's so funny? What did I say?" said Lily, disappointed
"Nothing, it's nothing. It's just that there are NO meeting with parents. There have never been, so it sounds really amusing to hear you ask" explained Severus.
The train slowed down till it stopped completely. A voice told the students to leave their cases in the compartments and to get off the train.
"Firs yea! Firs yea! 'verybody 'rom da first year ples com here!" the man talking was the same Lily and Peter had asked at the London train station.
Lily, Severus and Peter followed the man togheter with a crowd of other children toward the shore of a big, dark lake. The air was cold and Lily understood the meaning of the cloak.
They got in some boats ("No mor than fou' per boa!" the man had said) and started sailing toward a huge castle on the other side of the lake.